SR News:Can Cookies and Graphic files pose a threat?


Cookies a threat?

We have seen a number of products that claim to protect you against  viruses
in cookies. So...cookies must pose a real threat, right? Nope!

Cookies are simply data files that some web sites will  save  on  your  hard
disk. They are never executed so they pose no virus (or  trojan)  threat  to
your PC at all. Cookies pose no threat beyond wasting a small amount of disk
space. Web sites store information about your visit to  the  site  in  these
files. Both MS Internet Explorer and Netscape browsers give you some control
over whether you will accept Cookies. You  can  configure  your  browser  to
accept all cookies, refuse all cookies, or the browser can ask you each time
a web site wants to store a cookie on your disk. These  files  are  normally
stored a separate "cookie" directory (folder).

Are Graphics a Threat?

Just as with cookies, we have seen a  vendor  that  claims  to  protect  you
against graphics. Almost all web site contain a  large  number  of  graphics
that are downloaded and automatically displayed on your screen. You can also
directly download graphic files (usually *.JPG or *.GIF files) and  view  or
print them on your PC.

These graphic files do not contain programs. They are  simply  data  that  a
viewer program interprets in order to display an image  on  your  PC.  If  a
virus were contained in one of these files, it would pose no threat since it
would never be executed.

The Graphics Virus Myth

There are two reasons that the graphics virus myth won't die.

     One is that it happens all too often that someone clicks on  a  graphic
     and then has their PC crash (sometimes with damage to the programs  and
     data on the disk. This due  to  bugs  (or  conflicts)  in  the  browser
     software not because of an attack from a virus or  a  trojan.  See  The
     "Cute Chicken" and related hoaxes

     The other reason is that there have been a  number  of  virus  infected
     Usenet postings (often in the sex  related  areas)  where  the  graphic
     files include a viewer program. Such a  program  (unlike  the  graphics
     themselves) can easily be infected.

Write to Stiller Research: support@stiller.com

                                     Copyright c 1998 Stiller Research.
                                    Document Last Modified June 1, 1998.

[=- 㡫  ୠ ᪨ 蠫 //  #2 //  1998  -=]
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